Wednesday, May 15, 2002

Musical Instrument of the Week: Obviously the fact that I finally managed to watch Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey (incidentally my first video rental from the Georgia Tech library) yesterday might have something to do with my selection of the Theremin as the instrument of the week. Especially considering that my favourite film composer (Bernard Herrmann) used it, as did Jimmy Page from my favourite rock band (Led Zeppelin). {other bands}.
Perhaps the first electronic musical instrument invented, the Theremin was a creation of Russian inventor Lev Sergeivich Termen (something French happened along the way) the Victor Theremin paved the way for electronic music as it is today, inspiring people like Robert Moog (inventor of the Moog synthesizer), and making it onto the soundtracks of numerous famous films.